Director of music vs assistant music director

The differences between directors of music and assistant music directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a director of music and an assistant music director. Additionally, an assistant music director has an average salary of $50,431, which is higher than the $48,096 average annual salary of a director of music.

The top three skills for a director of music include music program, music theory and general music. The most important skills for an assistant music director are fine arts, music program, and DJ.

Director of music vs assistant music director overview

	Director Of Music	Assistant Music Director
Yearly salary	$48,096	$50,431
Hourly rate	$23.12	$24.25
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	7,394	7,409
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Director of music vs assistant music director salary

Directors of music and assistant music directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Music	Assistant Music Director
Average salary	$48,096	$50,431
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $84,000	Between $28,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	Phoenix, AZ	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Arizona	Arizona
Best paying company	York Prep School	Georgetown University
Best paying industry	Media	Media

Differences between director of music and assistant music director education

There are a few differences between a director of music and an assistant music director in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Music	Assistant Music Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Music	Music
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Director of music vs assistant music director demographics

Here are the differences between directors of music' and assistant music directors' demographics:

	Director Of Music	Assistant Music Director
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7%	Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 5.3% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 5.3% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	30%	30%

Differences between director of music and assistant music director duties and responsibilities

Director of music example responsibilities.

Manage entire music program, schedule ministers, concerts, and prayer services.
Achieve staff competence with 4 staff members, encouraging the growth and development of one staff member into a leadership position.
Direct 7th - 8th girls chorus.
Introduce and integrate Orff instruments to vocal songs.
Serve as rehearsal accompanist for chorus number while directing.
Draft and create costumes and props by hand for the production

Assistant music director example responsibilities.

Achieve staff competence with 4 staff members, encouraging the growth and development of one staff member into a leadership position.
Review incoming CDs from record labels in order to comply with FCC guidelines.
Promote performances and restaurant specials on Facebook, various other platforms.
Design and run powerpoint presentation and sound system when media tech is absent.
Develop and maintain a database for tracking the incoming and outgoing CDs for review by music staff.
Create weekly PowerPoint presentations for weekend liturgies.

Director of music vs assistant music director skills

Common director of music skills

Music Program, 19%
Music Theory, 12%
General Music, 6%
Fine Arts, 6%
Instrumental Ensembles, 5%
Music Selection, 4%

Common assistant music director skills

Fine Arts, 12%
Music Program, 10%
DJ, 9%
Radio Station, 8%
Radio Show, 8%
Chorus, 7%

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Director Of Music
Director Of Music vs Assistant Music Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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